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Oliver Haddo
Oliver Haddo was the leader of a cult of magicians, and would quickly become an enemy of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Haddo would also be notorious for numerous pseudonyms including Trelawney, Adrian Marcato, Kosmo Gallion and Tom Riddle. History Oliver Haddo was a black magician of ill repute. In 1908, he attempted several experiments to create a homunculus for the prophecized Moonchild to use as a vessel. The attempt was a failure and Haddo barely survived a fire at his Staffordshire estate, later assuming the alias of Dr. Karswell Trelawney. In 1910, Oliver Haddo came to the attention of the League when their member, occult detective Thomas Carnacki had visions of Haddo convening to plot the creation of a Moonchild destined to bring forth the end of the world. Haddo encountered Orlando, Allan Quatermain and Carnacki when they stumbled into his circle of magicians. In response to Carnacki's accusations, Haddo pointed out to him and his colleagues that what Carnacki saw either is wrong or has not happened yet. In fact, Carnacki inadvertently gave Haddo a crucial piece of information that they need to create the Moonchild. Oliver Haddo later contributed his service to the British government during World War II. During the post-war era, Haddo wrote the On the Descent of the Gods based on his collective research on the history of the paranormal. Reportedly, Haddo died destitute in Hastings in 1947. However, Haddo's spirit lived on and possessed Kosmo Gallion, and from there created the Cult of Gallion to continue his plan for the Antichrist. In 1969, Haddo intends to transfer his spirit to the body of Terner, the lead singer in the band Purple Orchestra. As Haddo prepares his ritual, he is confronted by Mina Murray on the astral plane. Haddo overpowers Mina, though he reveals that his possession of Terner will not affect his planned birth of the Antichrist. Unfortunately, the plan went awry as Gallion was killed by Jack Carter for the murder of Basil Fotherington-Thomas. Haddo was then forced to enter the body of Tom Riddle. As Tom Riddle, Haddo attended an "invisible college" devoted to teaching magic and subsequently becoming headmaster. Haddo soon founded the Antichrist, a student marked as a baby by Haddo with a distinctive scar who was subsequently manipulated into accepting his destiny through various adventures against an arch-nemesis portrayed by Haddo himself. The Antichrist came to learn the truth behind Haddo's manipulations and was driven mad, so he went into a rampage on the college and massacred its students and faculty. Haddo was decapitated by the Antichrist, who took his still-living head with him. Haddo's living head then spent the next decade in a cage in the Antichrist's house, while the Antichrist medicated himself with antipsychotic pills, and tried to put-off his eventual role in the Apocalypse. The Antichrist was eventually confronted by Mina Murray and Orlando. God, in the form of a woman named Mary, then intervened by turning Haddo's Antichrist into a chalk drawing, preventing the Apocalypse and saving mankind. Haddo's head was taken away by God/Mary Poppins to the Blazing World. About a year later, when Jack Dakkar and Mina were investigating the Blazing World's suspicious activities following Jimmy Bond's nuclear attack, they stumbled across Haddo's decapitated head still in its cage. Frightened by her sudden reappearance, the head begged her to leave him alone. Source material Oliver Haddo is from W. Somerset Maugham's novel The Magician (1907). Haddo was based on Aleister Crowley, whom Crowley later used as a pseudonym. He also takes some cues from Dr. Oyler of Stonedene. The different monikers Haddo assumes throughout time are also from other literary/fictional sources: * Dr. Trelawney is another Aleister Crowley analog in Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time book series. * Karswell is the man who buys Lufford Abbey in Warwickshire in M.R. James’ Casting the Runes * Hjalmar Poelzig is the Satan worshiping villain of the Universal horror film The Black Cat. * Mr. Mocata is the lead cultist from Dennis Wheatley's The Devil Rides Out. * Adrian Marcato is from Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby. * Kosmo Gallion is the occultic leader from the Avengers TV episode "Warlock". * Dr. Charles Felton is the leader of the occultic Black Light Lodge in Robert Irwin's Satan Wants Me. * Tom Riddle is Lord Voldemort from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Category:Males Category:British Category:Individuals Category:Villains Category:Magicians